The coldest day brought the warmest of smiles

As an adapted physical education teacher, I travel to multiple schools. This year, I’m visiting five schools, with students ranging from preschoolers to eighth graders. I’ve been slowly sharing with colleagues, when it feels right, the story of my oldest daughter, Cammy, who passed away just over a year ago at the age of 14 due to complications of Rett syndrome.

Here in Illinois, when there is extreme weather, schools may either do remote learning or have an old-fashioned snow day. The main reason schools close in extremely cold temperatures is that it can be dangerous for children to wait outside for a bus, especially if the bus is running late or breaks down.

Last week, we had our coldest day of the year, with a wind chill of -29 F. The districts where I serve still had school, though, so I had to go to four different buildings. As I entered the third building of the day, all bundled up, a sweet woman in the front office greeted me by asking, “Did you go to Harvard?”

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I smiled as I removed my Harvard winter hat. For the first time in over a year, I didn’t tear up or hold back from sharing. Instead, I said, “I didn’t go to Harvard, but I have a really beautiful story about my hat.” I asked her if I’d ever told her about my family and why I’m an adapted PE teacher. She shook her head no.

To my surprise, I didn’t cry as I shared about Cammy. She leaned in, tears in her eyes. I kept going.

I could feel myself bragging about how strong, smart, beautiful, and incredibly cool Cammy was. Even with profound special needs, Cammy lived a full life. She did more things in her short time than most people do in 70 years.

After Cammy passed away, I wanted to return to teaching to pay it forward. So many remarkable teachers, aides, therapists, and staff members truly saw my daughter and treated her like their own child. They made her feel safe, loved, and successful. I wanted other parents to feel that same level of support and know that I truly care for their children.

Circling back to the Harvard hat, I explained that Cammy was still teaching the world about Rett syndrome, as her beautiful brain was donated to the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. I continued to smile as I boasted that not many people can say that their child was accepted at Harvard at age 14. My heart felt like it had tripled in size as I shared about Cammy. The rest of the day didn’t feel like it was -29 F.

Note: Rett Syndrome News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Rett Syndrome News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Rett syndrome.